Heating apparatus

ABSTRACT

A heating apparatus having a housing enclosing a heat chamber between a pair of separable heat radiating walls and including an inlet boss adapted to be connected to an inlet pipe for conducting fresh air into the heat chamber, and an outlet boss adapted to be connected to an outlet pipe for conducting exhaust gas from the heat chamber. Each boss comprises separable flanges, one of which is integrally formed on one of the heat transfer walls, while the other flange is formed on the other heat transfer wall. The flanges have opposing complementary surfaces which engage each other when the heat transfer walls are joined to form the connections in which the inlet and outlet pipes are seated.

United States Patent Wiberg Nov. 28, 1972 HEATING APPARATUS 72 Inventor: Edwin E. Wiberg, 17594 West- Exam'erwles PF brook Detroit, Mich. 4 219 AttomeyI-Iauke, Gifford & Pa'talldlS [21] Appl 94920 A heating apparatus having a housing enclosing a heat chamber between a pair of separable heat radiating [52] US. Cl ..l26/85 B, 126/91 R, 126/116 R, walls and including an inlet'boss adapted to be con- 165/170 nected to an inlet pipe for conducting fresh air into [51] Int. Cl. ..F24c 3/00 the heat chamber, and an outlet boss adapted to be Field of Search 85 91 connected to an outlet pipe for conducting exhaust 126/116 R, 116 B; /170 as from the heat chamber. Each boss comprises I separable flanges, one of which is integrally formed on [56] References C'ted one of the heat transfer walls, while the other flange is UNITED STATES PATENTS formed on the other heat transfer wall. The flanges have opposing complementary surfaces which engage Curtis R each other when the heat transfer walls are joined to 1,927,174 9/1933 Jones 126/1 16 R form the connections in which the inlet and outlet 2,852,017 9/ 1958 Hamberg et al 126/90 R pipes are seated 2,866,449 12/1958 Baeza ..l26/9l R 3,016,946 l/l962 Ticknor ..126/85 R 3 Claim, 4 Drawing figures HEATING APPARATUS CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS The present invention is related in substance to the HEATING APPARATUS disclosed in U.S. Pat. Nos. 2,852,017 and 3,521,582.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1 Field of the Invention The present invention relates to heating apparatus and, more particularly, to a simplified construction of such heating apparatus.

2. Description of the Prior Art In the aforementioned patents, and in particular U.S. Pat. No. 2,852,017, a heating apparatus is disclosed which is particularly adapted for use in tents, trailers, buses, huts, barracks, cottages, boats and other localities where in comparison to the size of such localities many people are to be housed. The heating apparatus disclosed in the aforementioned patents comprises a housing having an upper section which includes a heat chamber opened at its lower and upper ends and having two opposite walls which serve as heat radiating walls. The housing also includes a lower section which is attached to the upper section by bolts or other suitable means.

A burner is mounted within a burner chamber in the lower section of the housing between the heat radiating walls and is arranged to direct flames upwardly into the heat chamber wherein the heated gases pass across heat absorbing projections provided on the inside of the heat radiating walls and are exhausted from the housing through an outlet pipe. The lower 'section serves as a means for mounting the burner and for providing a suitable connection to a fresh air inlet.

Although the heating apparatuses described in the aforementioned patents function in an acceptable manner, they require numerous components, such as heat transfer walls, the lower section, the burner, inlet and outlet connections, which must be assembled during the manufacturing process and which add to the cost and complexity of such heating apparatus. Due to the particular application of such heating apparatus, e.g.: tents, trailers and the like, it is essential that the heating apparatus be manufactured at a reasonably low cost to insure that they will be competitive with other heating devices such as electrical heaters.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention, which will be described subsequently in greater detail, comprises a heating apparatus having a pair of opposed separable heat radiating walls, each of which has integrally formed flanges which when joined form boss connections which define flow paths for conducting fresh air from an air inlet pipe to a heat chamber and for conducting exhaust gases from the heat chamber to an outlet pipe. The flanges are so designed as to form both the flow paths and boss connections upon assembly of the opposing heat radiating walls, and may be readily made by simplified casting techniques.

It is therefore an object of the present invention to provide an improved heating apparatus having inlet and outlet bosses which have separable portions in- BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWING The description herein makes reference to the accompanying drawing wherein like reference numerals refer to like parts throughout the several views, and in which:

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a trailer having heating apparatus constructed in accordance with the principles of the present invention;

FIG. 2 is an exploded perspective view of the heating apparatus illustrated in FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is a top plan view of the heating apparatus illustrated in FIG. 2 shown in an assembled state; and

FIG. 4 is a cross sectional view of the heating apparatus taken along line 4-4 of FIG. 2.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT Referring to FIG. 1, a heating apparatus 10 constructed in accordance with the principles of the present invention is illustrated as being installed in a trailer 11. The heating apparatus 10 has an air intake comprising an inlet pipe 12 surrounding an upper portion of a hot gas exhaust outlet pipe 14 such that the exhaust gas passing through the outlet pipe 14 pre-heats the air entering the heating apparatus 10. The upper ends of the inlet and outlet pipes pass through the roof 15 of the trailer 11 for the admission and exhaust of intake air and exhaust gas, respectively in a manner which is more fully described in the aforementioned U.S. Pat. No. 3,521,852 and which forms no part of the present invention and therefore a further detailed description is not necessary. A source of fuel, such as a bottled gas container 16, is mounted on the exterior of the trailer wall and is connected to the heating apparatus 10 by a main fuel line 18, all of which will be described in greater detail hereinafter.

As can best be seen in FIG. 2, the heating apparatus 10 preferably comprises a cast aluminum housing 20, having two separable body portions 22 and 24 adapted to be joined together by suitable fasteners, such as screws 26, extending through the body portion 22 to threadedly engage tapped bores 28 formed in the body portion 24. The housing 20 has legs 27 at the bottom to permit the mounting of the heating apparatus to the floor 29 of the trailer 11. The body portions 22 and 24 have transverse ribs 30 (only one of which is shown in FIG. 2 on wall 38) which divide the interior of the housing 20 into a heat chamber 32 and a burner chamber 34.

The body portions 22 and 24 have opposing vertical heat radiating walls 36 and 38, respectively, which are generally flat and are provided on their internal surfaces with heat absorbing projections 40 (shown in FIG. 2 on wall 38).

One or more burners 42 (FIG. 4) for burning a gas or an atomized fuel are mounted in the burner .chamber 34 below the heat chamber 32 and are adapted to discharge fuel upwardly toward the heat chamber 32 for combustion with the incoming air. The burners 42 are mounted to the wall 36 by fitting 44 which, in turn, extends through the wall 36 and provides a connection to the main fuel line 18. The main fuel line 18 passes through a conventional main on-off valve (not shown) operated by a thermostat 46 (FIG. 1) or the like which functions in the conventional manner to shut off the supply of fuel to the burners 42 when the interior of the trailer 1 1 reaches a desired temperature.

A pilot burner 48 (FIG. 4) is mounted on the wall 36, adjacent the burners 42, by a fitting 50 or the like which extends through the wall 36 for connection to a pilot fuel supply line 52 which, in turn, is connected to the main fuel line 18 through a safety on-off valve (not shown) and at point in the main fuel line 18 upstream from the main on-off valve. The safety on-off valve is of the conventionaltype and is actuated by a heat sensitive. element 54, such as a thermocouple, extending through the wall 36 into the burner chamber 34. The safety valve functions in the conventional manner to cause fuel to be supplied to the burner 42 and the pilot burner 48 only when the pilot burner 48 is operating properly.

Radiation of heat from the apparatus takes place mainly in opposite directions, that is, at right angles to the two opposite heat radiating walls 36 and 38. These walls are provided with external projections 56 (shown only on wall 36 in FIG. 2) which generally afford a considerable larger heat radiating area than the heat absorbing area of the internal projections 40 disposed within the heat chamber 34.

An opening 58 extending through the wall 36 of body portion 22 into the burner chamber 34 permits one to visually inspect the interior of the burner chamber 34 to ascertain whether or not the pilot burner 48 is lit, and also provides access for lighting the pilot burner '48. The opening 56 is closed by aclosure member 58 pivotably mounted to the wall 36 of the body portion 22. A conventional vent valve 60 extending through the wall 36 at the lower portion of the housing permits the draining of any water which may accumulate in a recess 62 at the bottom of the burner chamber 34.

The outlet pipe 14 is connected to the housing 20 and communicates with the heat chamber 32 by an outlet connection boss 64 disposed at the top of the housing 20, while the inlet pipe 12 is connected to the housing 20 and communicates with the burner chamber 34 by an inlet connection boss 66 disposed at the lower side portion of the housing 20. The upper outlet connection boss 64 comprises two sections, one of which is in the form of a U-shaped flange 68 extending upwardly from the upper surface of the body portion 24 and int'egrally formed therewith. The other section of the outlet connection boss 64 is in the form of an elongated flange projection 74 integrally formed at the top portion of the other body section 22. The opposite side surfaces 76 of the elongated flange 74 have an inward taperthat is adapted to engage complementary tapered surfaces 78 formed on the inner side of the legs of the U-shaped flange 68 such that the complementary tapered surfaces 76 and 78 will engage in a wedge-like fashion to insure a proper seal therebetween when the body portions 22 and 24 are joined together by screws 26. The upper interior surfaces of the joined flanges 76 and 74 define circular bore 80 (FIG. 3) in which the end of the outlet pipe 14 is adapted to be seated, while the lower interior surfaces of the joined flanges 68 and 74 form flow path 70 for conducting the exhaust gas from heat chamber 32 to the interior of the outlet pipe 14. The inlet connection boss 66 similarly comprises two sections, one of which is an integrally formed curved U-shaped flange 82 extending outwardly and upwardly from one side of the body portion 24 and is similar to the U-shaped flange 68. The other section of boss 66 comprises an integrally formed curved flange 84 which similarly extends outwardly and upwardly from one side of the body portion22. 7

The opposite side surfaces 86 of the'curved flange 84 have an inward taper that are adapted to engage complementary tapered surfaces 88 formed on the inner side of the legs of the U-shaped flange 82, such that the complementary tapered surfaces 86 and 88 will engage in a wedge-like fashion when the body portions 22 and 24 are joined. The upper interior surfaces of the joined flanges 82 and 84 define a circular bore 92 (FIGS. 3 and 4) in which the end of the inlet pipe 12 is adapted to be seated, while the lower interior surfaces of the joined flanges 82 and 84 form a flow path- 90 for conducting the intake air from the inlet pipe 12 to the burner chamber 34.

The mating surfaces of both body portions 22 and 24, including the complementary engaged surfaces of the inlet and outlet connection bosses 66 and 64, are preferably coated with a suitable furnace sealing material to ensure gas-proof seals on assembly.

It can thus be seen that the present invention provides a new heating apparatus in which portions of the inlet and outlet boss connections and the mounting legs are integrally formed to a pair of separable heat transfer walls which when joined together enclose the burner and heat chambers.

What is claimed is as follows:

1. A heating apparatus comprising a housing enclosing a heat chamber;

first boss means carried at a lower portion of said housing for connecting an inlet pipe to said housing and defining a flow path from said inlet pipe to said heat chamber for conducting fresh air to said heat chamber;

second boss means carried at an upper portion of said housing for connecting an outlet pipe to said housing and defining a flow path from said heat chamber to said outlet pipe for conducting exhaust gases from said heat chamber; said housing having separable metal body portions; means for joining said body portions to one another to enclose said heat chamber; each of said boss means comprising a first section having a selected contour and integrally formed to one of said body portions, and a second section having a selected contour and integrally fonned to the other of said body portions, said first and second sections of each said boss means having complementary surfaces adapted to engage one another when said body portions are joined, whereby the interior surfaces of said joined first and second sections of each of said bosses form said connections, and said complementary surfaces of each of said sections being tapered such that when said body portions are joined said first and second sections of each of said boss'means engage in a wedgelike fashion. 2. A heating apparatus comprising a housing enclosing a heat chamber; first boss means carried at a lower portion of said housing for connecting an inlet pipe to said housing and defining a flow path from said inlet pipe to said heat chamber for conducting fresh air to said heat chamber; second boss means carried at an upper portion of said housing for connecting an outlet pipe to said housing and defining a flow path from said heat chamber to said outlet pipe for conducting exhaust gases from said heat chamber; said housing having separable metal body portions; means for joining said body portions to one another to enclose said heat chamber; each of said boss means comprising a first section having a selected contour and integrally formed to one of said body portions, and a second section having a selected contour and integrally formed to the other of said body portions, said first and second sections of each said boss means having complementary surfaces adapted to engage one another when said body portions are joined, whereby the interior surfaces of said joined first and second sections of each of said bosses form said connections, said first section of each of said boss means being a hollow U-shaped flange; and said second section of each of said boss means being an elongated flange adapted to be disposed between the legs of its associated U-shaped flange such that said complementary surfaces of said first and second sections engage when said separable body portions are joined.

3. The heating apparatus defined in claim 2 wherein said complementary surfaces have a tapered configuration such that said surfaces engage in a wedge-like fashion when said body sections are joined.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE QERTIFICATE ()F CORREQ'HN Patent 3 ,703.895 Dated November 78' 1979 Inventor(s) Frqw'i :n Fngo-r c L wiharg It is certified that error appears in the above-identified patent and that said Letters Patent are hereby corrected as shown below:

Column 3, line 16, after "50" insert -(FIG. l)-- line 37, change "58" to 57- and line 42, change "56" to 57- Signed and sealed this 2 kth day of April 1973.

(SEAL-I Attest:

EDWARD H. FLETCHER, J'R. ROBERT GOTTSCHALK Attes'ting Officer Commissioner of Patents FORM PO-105O (10-69) USCOMM'DC 60376-P69 U.S. GOVERNMENT PRINTING OFFICE 7 I969 0-358-33 

1. A heating apparatus comprising a housing enclosing a heat chamber; first boss means carried at a lower portion of said housing for connecting an inlet pipe to said housing and defining a flow path from said inlet pipe to said heat chamber for conducting fresh air to said heat chamber; second boss means carried at an upper portion of said housing for connecting an outlet pipe to said housing and defining a flow path from said heat chamber to said outlet pipe for conducting exhaust gases from said heat chamber; said housing having separable metal body portions; means for joining said body portions to one another to enclose said heat chamber; each of said boss means comprising a first section having a selected contour and integrally formed to one of said body portions, and a second section having a selected contour and integrally formed to the other of said body portions, said first and second sections of each said boss means having complementary surfaces adapted to engage one another when said body portions are joined, whereby the interior surfaces of said joined first and second sections of each of said bosses form said connections, and said complementary surfaces of each of said sections being tapered such that when said body portions are joined said first and second sections of each of said boss means engage in a wedgelike fashion.
 2. A heating apparatus comprising a housing enclosing a heat chamber; first boss means carried at a lower portion of said housing for connecting an inlet pipe to said housing and defining a flow path from said inlet pipe to said heat chamber for conducting fresh air to said heat chamber; second boss means carried at an upper portion of said housing for connecting an outlet pipe to said housing and defining a flow path from said heat chamber to said outlet pipe for conducting exhaust gases from said heat chamber; said housing having separable metal body portions; means for joining said body portions to one another to enclose said heat chamber; each of said boss means comprising a first section having a selected contour and integrally formed to one of said body portions, and a second section having a selected contour and integrally formed to the other of said body portions, said first and second sections of each said boss means having complementary surfaces adapted to engage one another when said body portions are joined, whereby the interior surfaces of said joined first and second sections of each of said bosses form said connections, said first section of each of said boss means being a hollow U-shaped flange; and said second section of each of said boss means being an elongated flange adapted to be disposed between the legs of its associated U-shaped flange such that said complementary surfaces of said first and second sections engage when said separable body portions are joined.
 3. The heating apparatus defined in claim 2 wherein said complementary surfaces have a tapered configuration such that said surfaces engage in a wedge-like fashion when said body sectIons are joined. 